Daily Archives: May 18, 2017

The twist to this story? Rkke has decided to give "the lion's share" of his estimated $2.7 billion fortune towards building a 596-foot marine research vessel, the Research Expedition Vessel (REV), that's also designed to scoop up a major oceanic threatplastic pollution.

The REV, a collaboration with Norway's World Wildlife Fund (WWF), will be able to suck up to 5 tons of plastic a day from the waters and melt it down, Norway's Aftenposten newspaper reported.

"I want to give back to society the bulk of what I've earned," Rkke told the publication. "This ship is a part of that."

According to Business Insider, the mega-yachtwhich will be the world's largest once builtcan carry 60 scientists and 40 crew. The REV will be equipped with modern laboratories, an auditorium, two helipads, a hangar for a remote operated vehicle, an autonomous underwater vehicle as a multifunctional cargo deck aft of the ship, and high-tech equipment for monitoring and surveying marine areas. It is also available for private charters for up to 36 guests and 54 crew, which will help generate extra funding for research.

Rkke, a former fisherman, said the oceans "have provided significant value for society" and directly to him and his family.

"However," he noted, "the oceans are also under greater pressure than ever before from overfishing, coastal pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and ocean acidification, and one of the most pressing challenges of all, plasticization of the ocean. The need for knowledge and solutions is pressing."

While onboard, the researchers will attempt to answer some of the most pressing questions facing our seas:

What impact does CO2 emissions have on the oceans and ocean acidification, and what can we do to reduce the effects?

How can we overcome plastic pollution, which is causing extensive damage throughout the marine food chain?

What can we do to save endangered species?

How can we reduce bycatch and make harvesting of marine resources more sustainable?

Are there untapped resources in the oceans, which through sustainable harvest could provide new sources of food or energy for future generations?

"The REV will be a platform for gathering knowledge," Rkke told Business Insider. "I would like to welcome researchers, environmental groups, and other institutions on board, to acquire new skills to evolve innovative solutions to address challenges and opportunities connected to the seas."

Yachts, especially one of this size, of course have some environmental drawbacks but here are some of the ship's green credentials:

Diesel electric with additional 3MW lithium ion battery pack for peak shaving ensuring optimum efficiency, with silent running under batteries alone for limited periods of time at biomass sampling speeds 2 kts during research missions.

Medium speed generators compiling with the latest Marpol Tier III regulation with additional DPF (Diesel Particulate Filters)

High efficiency frequency controlled research winch package with energy recovery system, so that power can be harvested on winch release and re-directed into battery pack

Heat recovery on all main generators and incinerator for feeding back into hot water circuits and HVAC, reducing power demands from generators. Heat recovery system used for generating free fresh water through evaporator plant 30 m3/24 hrs

"Free cool" system for air conditioning system in sea water temperature below 10 degrees, reducing power consumption.

Hi-tech incinerator system allowing all materials including plastics but not metal or glass to be incinerated in an environmental way without producing any noxious gases and limited char, meaning the ship does not have to off load plastic waste to shoreside facilities in countries with limited ability to then dispose of plastics. Every 1 kg of waste burnt puts 110kgs thermal power back into ships systems

Latest LED lighting systems throughout vessel to reduce power consumption

VARD SeaQ "Green Pilot" system for monitoring COx, SOx and NOx emissions plus other environmental parameters to allow crew to run the ship in the most environmental way keeping the carbon footprint to a minimum.

Latest ballast water treatment system to prevent species cross contamination across ocean zones

Vessel built under DNV-GL SILENT-R notation for maximum prevention of underwater noise pollution

Hull construction built to ICE PC6 for navigation in ice infested water, medium first year ice with old inclusions, machinery specified to ICE 1C

Decks covered in either synthetic deck covers or WWF FSC certified woods

The ship is expected to be operational by summer 2020. Not only will it be the largest in the world once built, the REV will be the world's heaviest, at 16,000GT.

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Offshore Oil Well Leaked for Months, Public Kept in Dark for a Year - EcoWatch

President Donald TrumpDonald TrumpDem in Montana special election breaks M fundraising mark Mueller shouldnt forget to investigate Clinton's Russia ties during Trump probe Tillerson: US 'must own' drug problem to curb violence MORE wants to open up our national marine sanctuaries to offshore oil drilling. His desire to expand energy exploration efforts into these protected areas is contained in his Offshore Energy Executive Order. In doing so, he is attacking a legacy of laws, leaders, and local communities that have long fought to prevent any attempts to drill for oil in our treasured marine sanctuaries.

The national marine sanctuary program was set up by President Richard Nixon to protect particularly important and unique areas of Americas oceans. Currently, there are 13 national marine sanctuaries in the United States and no president has ever reduced or eliminated any of these remarkable areas. Marine sanctuaries are critical to the economy, beauty, and security of our country. They help restore sustainable fisheries, buffer the impacts of climate change, and protect against the dangerous risks of offshore oil drilling.

In the 1980s, the federal government pushed to open up the California coastline to further offshore oil drilling. However, environmentalists and the fishing and tourism industries, along with their government representatives, fought back. Local communities implemented zoning laws to limit onshore oil infrastructure. A bipartisan delegation of California Congress members then authored and passed a moratorium on the Interior Department budget that banned the agency from spending any money to pursue offshore lease sales. Concerned that the coastline remained vulnerable, our leaders then looked to the federal marine sanctuary program to protect the oceans from any oil exploitation and extraction.

Normally, the Department of Commerce is empowered to designate marine sanctuaries, after a coordinated and lengthy process with local communities. By the early 1990s, however, the executive branch in Washington, D.C. appeared to be unwilling and unmotivated to designate more marine sanctuaries. Fortunately, Republicans and Democrats in Congress took the initiative and passed legislation that not only reauthorized the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, but also designated the Hawaiian Humpback Whale, Stellwagen Bank, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries.

I am fortunate to now represent and live along the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The legislation behind that sanctuary was the result of a unified Central Coast effort supported by local businessmen, fishermen, environmentalists, farmers, scientists, and citizens working with their representative in Congress. Known as the Serengeti of the Sea for its diverse and rich underwater life, the Monterey Bay Sanctuary is larger than Yellowstone National Park and deeper than the Grand Canyon. People come from all over the world to enjoy our sanctuary. Tourists drive along the coast or take a chartered boat out on the bay to watch whales and dolphins breach ocean waves and otters frolic in kelp forests. Families flock to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Sanctuary Visitor Center and fill restaurants to eat fresh seafood caught by local fishermen. College students and scientists conduct research at the numerous marine research institutions that dot the coast of the sanctuary. As we celebrate the 25thanniversary of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, we must also acknowledge that everybody is able to enjoy the fruits of our sanctuary because our leaders and local community members had the foresight to come together and create laws that preserve our oceans.

Our marine sanctuaries are living legacies that belong to all of us. It will take a lot more than an executive order by President Trump to turn back the clock on the incredible work done to establish these treasures. For three of our nations sanctuaries, including Monterey Bay, it would take an act of Congress to open them up for oil exploration and exploitation. That will not happen on my watch. I am part of that legacy of people and laws that have been put in place to protect the beauty and resources of the Monterey Bay. Together, we will fight not only for our marine sanctuaries in California and across our nation, but also to preserve the many benefits that our oceans bestow upon our communities, country, and future generations.

Panetta represents California's 20th District and serves on the Natural Resources Committee.

The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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Maritime sanctuaries must be protected from offshore oil drilling - The Hill (blog)

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Saqib Rahim, E&E News reporter

The Port of Baltimore's Atlantic Tradepoint, formerly known as Sparrows Point, was once home to Bethlehem Steel. Now, its owners want to capitalize on the offshore wind business. Photo courtesy of Tradepoint Atlantic.

Maryland's new offshore wind policy is more than a play for windmills. It's also a play for manufacturing jobs.

In approving 368 megawatts of offshore wind power last week, Maryland regulators said they want the state to be the industry's "first mover" and the supplier for the East Coast (Climatewire, May 12). The policy is the first in the United States to explicitly marry an offshore wind goal to an economic one. And it's a purposeful stab at becoming the American beachhead for an industry that's already mature in Europe.

The Maryland Public Service Commission considered a smaller project but decided that the larger one was justified by its forecasted economic benefits: almost 9,700 jobs and $1.8 billion of in-state spending over 20 years.

"It is not lost on us that this Order effectuates a premium investment by our ratepayers," the PSC said in its May 11 order. "We have, to the best of our abilities, attempted to seize on the realization of both lofty economic and environmental goals established by the State."

Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey are hoping to build wind turbines off their coasts. But so far there is no port to supply them, so the parts have to be imported from Europe and assembled at sea.

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"We're extremely excited about it," said David Roncinske, a representative with Wharf, Dock Builders, Pile Drivers, and Divers Local Union 179. "The nature of the project demands labor, and so their promises they don't have a choice. If they want to install this, if they're going to finish their project, they're going to need people to do it, lots of them."

In Maryland, the policy centers on an instrument called an offshore renewable energy credit, or OREC. These ORECs are worth about $130 per megawatt-hour generated, and they're awarded for 20 years once the windmills start generating power.

That represents a cash stream that the developers, U.S. Wind Inc. and Deepwater Wind Holdings LLC, say will enable them to raise the cash to build the projects. It's a premium price for power more than double the levelized cost of generation by a new natural gas plant, according to the Energy Information Administration.

And it will raise power bills. The PSC said the average Marylander would see bills rise by a maximum of $1.40 a month. Commercial and industrial customers would see a maximum hike of 1.4 percent.

But Maryland regulators sought new renewable energy resources that could help meet the state's renewable energy goals. Offshore wind offered one way to get renewable electrons from in-state instead of importing them, the PSC said.

But they were also constrained by a 2013 state law that said they could not approve projects unless they delivered "net benefits" to the state's economy, environment and health.

The PSC found that they did. A major reason was that the PSC required U.S. Wind and Deepwater to build part of their supply chains in Maryland. The companies are required to jointly spend at least $76 million on steel manufacturing in Maryland. They're required to use ports in Baltimore and Ocean City.

They're also required to pump $40 million into Tradepoint Atlantic, a vast shipyard east of Baltimore that was once home to Bethlehem Steel.

Today the 3,100-acre parcel is home to a FedEx Corp. facility, an Under Armour Inc. facility, a rusted steel plant and a lot of empty space.

There is a hardened dock where, it's imagined, cranes could pick up the towers, blades and nacelles for the turbines and load them onto ships. None of those are made in the United States today. European companies say they will be, if the United States commits to larger scale.

For now, the land needs further remediation and upgrades, said Aaron Tomarchio, Tradepoint Atlantic's vice president of corporate affairs.

And both U.S. Wind and Deepwater Wind have to confirm that they're taking the OREC incentive. They have until May 25.

"If we establish a good program here, it could be a base to serve the rest of the Eastern Seaboard," Tomarchio said. "I think we can handle it all, but I think we'll have to see what the market looks like."

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Mid-Atlantic wind project bound to US-made steel and ports - E&E News

As concerns over the supply and price of gas grow, the Federal Government has released new acreage for offshore oil and gas exploration.

They include areas off the coast of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, as well as in the historic oil and gas producing region of Bass Strait.

The annual acreage release is based on nominations from oil and gas companies on areas they are interested in exploring, and consequent work by Geoscience Australia.

A total of 21 areas in Commonwealth waters of Northern Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the Ashmore and Cartier Islands will be opened up for industry to put bids in to explore in the area.

Lisa Schofield, general manager of offshore resources for the Federal Department of Innovation and Science and said the areas were subject to a rigorous process before being released.

"We put all nominations through a rigorous consultation process right across government," she said.

"We talk to a lot of agencies across the Commonwealth to ensure that what we do complies with requirements for areas like marine reserves, the defence industry and shipping lanes.

"We then have a conversation with the states because although the offshore areas are in Commonwealth waters, we manage them in partnership with the states and territories."

Ms Schofield said the acreage plans were then released for public consultation for around two months.

"The responses we get were mostly from fishing organisations or other interested parties that have a potential use, or question or concern, about the area being considered."

The release of acreage for oil and gas exploration in the Bass Strait could boost the nation's oldest offshore oil and gas production area.

The existing resources in the region, which takes in the Otway and Gippsland Basins, have been steadily declining for years.

However a recent report from global industry and management consultants McKinsey and Co found that reinvigorating production there was one way to keep a lid on spiralling gas prices on the east coast.

Ms Schofield said there was definitely interest and she thought some companies were really committed to doing further exploration there.

"There are lots of facilities and existing infrastructure and some part of the basins have been more or less explored than others.

"The acreage there is for the underexplored areas, and there's a number of titles that already existing in the Otway Basin, in that area between Victoria and Tasmania.

"There are already lots of titles and lots of facilities like pipelines that provide gas up to Victoria to feed that supply market," she said.

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New areas for offshore oil and gas exploration have been released. - ABC Online